Automatic bell ringer



March 27, 1956 v. 1... FRANTZ AUTOMATIC BELL. RINGER Filed Feb. 2 1951 w II .w y///% 2 w a r 2 a w 4 w 4 2 0 Z 2 m n 4 FIG.

his Attorney United States Patent AUTOMATIC BELL RINGER Virgil L. Frantz, Salem, Va. Application February 2, 1951, Serial No. 209,162 6 Claims. (Cl. 121-2) This invention relates to automatic bell ringers for locomotive bells and the like.

The principal object of the invention, generally stated, is to improve bell ringing mechanism of locomotives by providing a simple, durable and efiicient air actuating mechanism that assures the ringing of the bell with an undampened tone and with a constant predetermined cadence under all weather conditions while air pressure is supplied thereto; said mechanism being bodily insertable in and removable from the bell assembly within two or three minutes in order to renew the same when necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hollow supporting standard for a locomotive bell, the standard having at its lower end, adjacent the clapper of the bell, an air pressure receiving recess or chamber adapted to removably receive a cartridge containing the clapper actuating mechanism.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hollow supporting standard to receive air pressure and for clamping a bell to a bracket arm at one end portion of the standard and adapted to removably receive the clapper actuating mechanism in its other end portion, a removable clevis member secured to said other end of the standard and serving to close the opening in the standard to retain said clapper actuating mechanism therein and to provide a support for a pivotally mounted clapper.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a bell assembly a separate renewable clapper actuating mechanism in the form of a cartridge bodily insertable into and removable from its operative position and which is retained in operating position by a clapper supporting clevis member and, which upon the removal of the clevis member, can be removed and immediately'replaced.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bell-clapper actuating mechanism in the form of a cartridge member having in the interior thereof a pair of cylinders of difierent diameter, a headed piston movable in one of said cylinders, the piston and the closure member for the cartridge being provided with recesses in which rings may be seated to prevent escape of fluid pressure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description of the single embodiment of the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section of the locomotive bell showing the clapper and clevis member for supporting the same.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the supporting member and clevis, showing the clapper member in full lines; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the movement of the piston from normal or inoperative position to operative position.

Referring now in detail to the drawing in which like reference characters designate like parts, the numeral 1 designates a locomotive bell; 2, an arm projecting from the locomotive frame, not illustrated, and having at the end thereof an annular member 3 for fittedly receiving a projection 4 on the upper portion of the bell, which latter, together with its projection i, has a longitudinal opening 4 therethrough and through which opening 4 extends the reduced upper end of a standard or supporting bolt 8. A nut 6 is threaded on the projecting extremity of the upper end of the standard 8 and a washer 5 is interposed between the nut 6 and the annular portion 3 of the arm 2, whereby the shoulder 9, formed by the reduced end of the standard, is drawn into tight engagement with the inner wall of the hell 1 thus securing the same to the bracket arm 2. Preferably, there is provided a lock-nut 7 to hold the nut 6 in its proper position. The hollow standard 8 is internally threaded at its upper end as at 11, to receive the nipple 12 of an air-line 13 that may be connected with a control valve (not shown) in the cabin of the locomotive. At its lower end the standard 8 is provided exteriorly with a threaded portion 14 and an adjacent circumferential locking groove 15 in which the locking screw 16 of the clevis 17 is adapted to fit so as to hold the clevis from rotation.

The clevis 17 supports the clapper from the standard 8 and is in the form of a cap provided with a threaded recess 18 by which it is secured to the threaded end 14 of the standard 8, the bottom 19 of the recess being closed except for the central opening 20 through which reciprocates the extremity 48 of the piston stem 38a of a piston 38. The clevis is also provided with a pair of spaced cars 21; and pivotally mounted on a pin 22, which extends through suitable openings in the ears 21, is the clapper 23. The pivoted end of the clapper has a laterally projecting arm 24 positioned to underlie the opening 20 and to be engaged by the extremity 48 of the piston stem for operating the clapper in one direction to strike the bell; and the pivoted end of the clapper also has a shoulder 25 which engages the stop 26 on the clevis to limit the movement of the clapper in its other or return direction of movement. As shown in Figure 1, the clapper has the enlarged spherical striker 27 at its distal end which, when the clapper is actuated, is adapted to strike or impinge against the inner rim to sound the bell.

The hollow standard 8 has a central or longitudinal passage 28 leading from and communicating with the nipple 12, preferably to a point approximately midway of its length or opposite the shoulder 9 of the standard; and from this point the passage 28 is enlarged to form two successive cylindrical chambers 29 and 30 opening completely one into the other, the chamber 29 being of less diameter than the chamber 30 and positioned between the chamber 30 and the passage 28, the difference in diameter of the two chambers producing, at their juncture, a shoulder 50.

Seated within the chambers 29 and 30 is a cartridge 31 containing the clapper actuating mechanism and shaped to conform to the general interior outline of the chambers 29 and 30 so as to provide an upper cylindrical portion 32 disposed within the chamber 29 and a lower enlarged cylindrical portion 33 disposed within the chamber 30, thus providing an internal shoulder 33 and an external shoulder 49 at the junctures of these cylindrical portions 32 and 33. As can be seen from the drawings, the internal diameter of the cylindrical portion 32 is less than the internal diameter of cylindrical portion 33 and their external diameter is less than that of their respective chambers 29 and 30 so as to allow passage of air pressure therebetween. When inserting the cartridge into the chambers 29 and 30, the external shoulder 4-9 of the cartridge abuts the shoulder 50 to locate and position the cartridge in place in said chambers and the shoulder 49 is formed with grooves 51 or the like to permit air pressure to pass ing from the axial opening 37 in the plug member 35- are a plurality of ports 36 opening exteriorly of the plug to communicate the opening 3'7 with the air space between the cartridge and the chamber 3% The piston 38 has a head 44 which is disposed within the. eylindrieal'portion 33 of the cartridge 31 for reciprocal movement therein and is provided on its circumferential. surface with an ring 47 to seal the same against the passage of air pressure between the piston and the cylindrical portions 32 and 33. The piston stem or plunger 38a of the piston 33 extends through the opening 37 in the plug closure member 35 and is so dimensioned as to have its free extremity 48 normally projecting below the end of said closure member 35 and of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the opening 37 in order to allow the passage of air pressure between the opposing surfaces of the piston stem 38a and the opening 37. The piston stem 38a has a longitudinal passage 39 extending for a distance therein from the piston head 44 and, at the piston head, said passage is in the. form of an enlarged chamber 40 extending therethrough. Disposed Within the chamber 40 is a filter member 41 and the chamber is closed by a plug 42 having a restricted opening 43 therein.

Immediately below the piston head 44, the passage 39 has one or more radial ports 45 communicating it exteriorly of the piston stem and the other or lower endof the passage 39, as shown in the drawings, communicates exteriorly of the piston stem through a similar port or ports 46. The opening 43 is of much less area than the area of the passage 39 and of its ports 45 and 46 so. as to retard the passage of air pressure to thecylinder 32 and control the timing of the movement of the piston in its bell-ringing stroke. An 0 sealing ring 47 is disposed. circumferentially on the piston stem 33 and is positioned at a point between and above the ports 45 and. 46 to engage. with the walls of the opening 37 in the plugcap 35 at. all times but which will not, at any time during the operation of the piston, pass or go below the ports 36 in said plug cap 35 (see Figs. 2 and 3). Also carried on the cap 35, below or outwardly beyond the ports 36 thereof, are 0 sealing rings 47 placed about the circumference of the opening 37 to he in sealing contact with the outer surface of the piston stem or plunger 38. Auxiliary 0 rings 47 may also be provided on the outer circumference of the cap 35 to be engaged in sealing contact by the cap portion of the clevis 1.7 so as to prevent escape of the air pressure from between the outer walls of the cartridge and the inner walls of the chamber 30.

The length of the passage 39 is dimensioned and the position of its ports 46 is such that, when the piston 38 is operated to actuate the clapper, as shown in Figure 3, the port 46 is below the sealing rings 47* and, preferably, vents to the atmosphere the pressure within the cylinders 32 and 33' (see Fig. 3), the air pressure coming from the passage 28 and between said cylinders and chambers 29 and. 301 and ports 36 being sealed by the rings 47 from entering ports 45' or from otherwise flowing from under the head 44.

Assuming it is desired to ring the hell 1 and the parts in the position shown in Figure 2, the operation of. the device is as follows: The engineer or operator will open an air valve causing air pressure to flow through the pipe-:13 to the passage 28 and this pressure will pass out= wardly between the outer side walls of the cartridge 31 andthe inner surface ofthe standard member- 8- entering ports 36, from which said fluid pressure will pass upwardly between the sealed'off surfaces of the piston stem 38 and the passage 37 in cap 35 through the port or ports 46 into the passage 39, and then through ports 43 and 45 into the chambers 32 and 33. it will be noted, however, that, due to the difference in size between the larger port 45 and the very small vent port 43 in the cadence control plug-42, the air' pressurein-the chamber 33 under the piston head 44 willbuild-up faster than in the upper or reservoir cylinder or chamber 32 of the cartridge thus moving the piston to or holding itinits upper position, shown in Pig, 2. Assoon as sufiicient air has passed through the control port 43, the piston head 44 will move rapidly downward from its position in Figure 2 toward the position in Fig. 3, by reason of the area differential between upper and lower surfaces of the piston, until the intake port 46 moves below or beyond the sealing rings 47 when port 46 becomes open to the atmosphere. It will be also noted that the port 46 passed the sealing ring 47* before the piston 44 reaches the limit of its clapper actuating movement, thus allowing air entrapped under the piston head to completely exhaust (through port 45, passage 39, port 46) and, at the same time, begins to bleed or: exhaust the airpressure in the reservoir cylinder 32 (through vent opening 43 but which is retarded due to the small restricting opening 43.

The above stated movement of the piston caused the end 48- of' the piston stem to engage the arm' 24 and swing the clapper 23 in a bell-ringing stroke; and; when the piston. 44-has come to the limit. of its bellringing stroke (shown in Fig; 3), the clapper, by its momentum, moves for afurther' distance to strike/the bell-rim (Fig. l.) causing the arm 124 to leave the cod -'48 of the: piston stem. After striking the bell the clapper rebounds, causing the arm 24 to re-engage the end. 48 of the. piston. stem and. move the piston upwardly. As. the. port 46 passes the sealing'ring 47 in its upwardmovement, it admits air pressure. from theports 36 to the passage 39 and. which air rushes through control vent or opening'43: and through port 45 under the piston head 44; but, as. the air pressure. from the. port 45. builds-up faster under the piston head. than. in the reservoir cylinder 32 from the vent opening 43, due to the differential in size of the orificesofports 43 and;45, the piston is moved upwardly quickly against the, stop-shoulder 33 and its stem end 48- immediately leaves the arm 24 allowing the clapper to complete its return swing. Almost immediately after the piston is stopped by the shoulder 33, suflicient air pressurehasbeen admitted through the vent. opening 43; andbuiltfup in the cylinder; 32 to cause the piston 38 to start again. its downward bell. ringing stroke, thus repeating theabovedescribedcycle so'long; as air pressure: is ad-- mitted to pipe 13..

The pressure. in. the reservoir cylinder 32 builds-up rather quickly because said cylinder is not completely exhausted of all pressure, when the port 46 is open tothe atmosphere. However,- the time-lag between, bell ringing strokes of the piston 38 can be varied, by selecting a cartridge 31- having aplug 42. with a control. vent on port 43 of the required. area, in order to obtain the cadence desired for successive tolling strokes of the clapper against the bell.

The advantages of the bell ringing mechanismof the present invention over those previously, known are. mani: fold and among them are that (1) the piston headisnot' retarded in itsdownward stroke as theair entrapped under. the-head. is quickly-exhausted so that a quick sharp stroke is obtained; (2) the piston stops: its: downward stroke-before: the-clapper strikes the. bell and thetclapper swings freely. to complete its striking action free of connection with any part of the actuating mechanism so that the piston doesnot have a.- tendency to..- hold the clapper against the bell which would kill or dampen the tone of the hell; (3) after the clapper strikes the bell there is nothing to prevent or to retard the free rebound of the clapper, thus giving a distinct tolling blow with no dampening eflects; (4) due to the passage 39 in the piston stem having the vent opening 43 and port 45 at its upper end which are fully open to the atmosphere by the port 46 at its other end, any dirt, water or other foreign matter that is in the compressed air is exhausted under force to the atmosphere through the port 46 upon every tolling stroke of the piston, thus the device is selfcleaning; (5) due to this self-cleaning effect of the mechanism, it will not freeze preventing the tolling of the bell, even in temperatures as low as below zero F.; and (6) the actuating mechanism is contained in a cartridge that is quickly insertable into and removable from operating position, thus protecting the operating mechanism and increasing its life many fold over known devices.

It will be obvious that upon the release of the looking screw 16 the clevis (by using the clapper as a wrench) can be unscrewed from the standard 8, the cartridge can then be removed and another cartridge inserted, and the clevis again screwed back to its proper position, the locking screw being then tightened. By this arrangement, a different tolling cadence may be obtained or worn parts can be replaced by the mere insertion of a new cartridge in less than two minutes and this replacement can be done by the engineer or his assistant or by a mechanic without tying up the locomotive for any time longer than the time interval mentioned.

It should be understood that the described and dis closed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart either from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a bell clapper having an operating arm projecting from said clapper, of a walled chamber positioned in cooperative relation with said clapper and adapted to be connected at one end to a source of fluid pressure and having a cartridge loading and unloading opening at the other end thereof, a removable closure for said opening, a cartridge casing removably disposed in said chamber and dimensioned to have portions of its side walls spaced from said chamber to allow fluid pressure to pass therebetween, said cartridge casing having a piston cylinder at one end portion and a piston head pressure space in the other end portion both of which open into one another, a piston in sealed contact with and reciprocably mounted within said piston cylinder, said piston cylinder having an elongated guide bore therein at its other end and having intake ports therein communicating said bore with said chamber, a piston stem extending from said piston through said guide bore and through an opening in said closure and aligned in cooperative relation with said operating arm of said clapper to actuate the latter, said piston stern being of less diameter than said guide bore to allow passage of fluid pressure therebetween and having a passage therewithin for a distance along its length from its piston and having ports at its end portions communicating respectively with the interior of the cartridge at the underside of the piston and with said guide bore, a fluid pressure sealing means between said stem and bore and disposed between said last mentioned ports to confine passage of said fluid pressure from said intake ports through said last mentioned ports in said stem, the port in said stem communicating with said bore being positioned to move externally of said chamber to exhaust to the atmosphere, when said piston is in one position of its movement, and a metering cadence control vent in said piston communicating the passage in said piston stem with the head side of the piston, whereby, when it is desired to change the cadence of the clapper a new cartridge may be inserted with a diflerent cadence control vent.

2. In an actuator for a bell clapper, a member having a tubularchamber in an open end portion thereof adapted to be arranged in cooperative relation with said clapper and connected with a source of fluid pressure, a removable cap for the open end of said chamber, a closed cartridge casing removably disposed within said chamber and having a piston reciprocably mounted therein, said piston having a head side and an under piston stem side, a piston stem extending from the piston through an elongated bore in the end of the cartridge casing adjacent said cap and through an opening in said cap and normally positioned to engage the bell clapper, the surfaces of said stem and bore being slightly spaced to allow passage of fluid pressure therebetween said cartridge casing being of less dimension than the interior of the chamber to allow passage of fluid pressure therebetween and having intake ports therein communicating with said bore near the outer end of the latter, a passage within and extending for a distance along the piston stem from said piston and having port means therein at one end portion communicating with the interior of the cartridge at the underside of the piston and at the head side of the piston through a restricted rate-controlling opening, and another port means at the other end portion of said passage positioned to alternately communicate said passage with said bore to the atmosphere when said piston is in dilterent positions of its movement, a sealing means between said cartridge casing and said piston stem at its end adjacent said cap, and a sealing means between said piston stem and said bore between said port means in the end portions of said stem to always confine the passage of said fluid pressure from said intake ports through said passage in said piston stem to the interior of the cartridge.

3. The combination with a closed chambered member adapted to be connected to a fluid pressure supply and to have a fluid pressure motor mechanism insertable and removable contained therein, of a fluid pressure motor mechanism comprising a closed cartridge dimensioned for insertion into and removal from said chamber and having a piston stem guide-bore in one end thereof and intake ports therein positioned to communicate said chamber with said guide-bore when in position in said chamber, a piston reciprocably mounted in said cartridge and having a plunger stem projecting therefrom through said guide-bore and from said cartridge and chamber, said plunger having a passage therewithin for a distance along its length from said piston and having ports at its end portions communicating with the interior of said cartridge at the underside of said piston and with said guide-bore respectively, the walls of said bore and said plunger being dimensioned to allow fluid pressure to pass therebetween, a fluid pressure sealing means between said plunger and said bore and disposed between said last mentioned ports to confine the passage of said fluid pressure from said intake ports through ports in said plunger, the port in said plunger communicating with said bore being positioned to be moved externally of the chamber to exhaust to the atmosphere, when said piston is in one position of its movement, and a metering cadence control vent in said piston communicating the passage in said plunger with the head side of the piston, whereby when it is desired to change the cadence of the motor, a new cartridge may be inserted into said chamber with a different control vent.

4. The subject matter stated in claim 3 wherein the cartridge is composed of separable casing parts and wherein the cadence control vent comprises a plug having a passage therethrough removably secured to said piston so that, upon removal of the cartridge from said chamber, it may be quickly separated and the plug removed agzae s zoand replaced by another plug havinga passage. of. differ to be. connectible to. a fluid pressure supply and having.

a removable closure at one end portion to removably retain a fluid pressure motor mechanism. therein, said closure having an aperture therein, of a fluid pressure motor mechanism comprising a closed cartridge. dimensioned for insertion into and removalfrom the chamber of said member and having a piston stem guide-bore in:one; end thereof adjacent said closure and intake ports therein positioned to communicate said chamber with said. guidebore at a point near said closure, a piston having a head and a stem side reciprocably mounted in said cartridge and having a plunger stem projecting from saidstem side through said guide-bore and through the aperture in said closure-, said plunger having a passage therewithin for a distance along its length terminating in ports at its ends which ports communicate. with theinterior of said cartridge at the underside of said piston and with said guidebore respectively, the walls of said bore and said.

plunger being dimensioned to allow fluid pressure to pass therebetween, a fluid pressure sealing means between said plunger and said bore at said closure and. at a point between said ports in said plunger to confine the passage of said fluid pressure from said intake ports through portsin said plunger, the port in said plunger communicating with said bore being positioned to be moved to exhaust to the atmosphere, when said piston is in one position of its movement, and a metering cadence control vent. in,

said piston communicating the passage; in said plunger with the head side of the piston, whereby when it is desired. to. change thecadence oi the motor, a new car tridge may be. inserted into said chamber with a: ditferent control vent.

6. Inan'automatic. ringing bell, a member for supporting; a clapper in cooperativerelation to the bel1,.said mem.-

her having therein an enlarged chamber formed. withanopening adjacent to the clapper, aremovable cap threaded, on said. member for openingand closing the opening, insaid chamber, a replaceable cartridge disposed within: said chamber and; insertable and removable through saidopening and held in place by said cap, said cartridge containing a motor means having an. actuated partprojecting through'awall of the cartridge adjacent the. cap and an opening: in said cap, a clapper supporting means on the cap, and. a clapper pivotally mounted on said supporting means in position to be engaged by. said actuated part,

whereby the clapper may be. swungv by said actuated part.

and may be movedangularly relative: to' the axis of said cap to be used as. a lever to thread. and unthread said cap to and from its closing, position, when. replacing a new cartridge.

References Cited in theifile of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 1,692,808 Bauer Nov. 27', 1928' 1,707,972. Bridgham Apr. 9, 1929 1,929,197 Bridgham Oct. 3, 1933' 2,536,595 Dittmann Jan. 2, 1951 FOREIGN PATENT S 406;83.2 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1934 

